NCIS: For As Long As You Live
by TnJAGAz
Summary: An NCIS Season Finale continuation episode. Okay, in "Death Do Us Part" we're left wonder who if any of the Major Case Response Team survived when Harper Dearing set off his car bomb in front of NCIS Headquarters.


NCIS

Title:** For As Long As You Live**

Author: TnJAGAz aka txncistn

Rating: G/PG [some language, violence, etc.]

Classification: A NCIS Season Finale continuation episode. Okay, in "Death Do Us Part" we're left wonder who if any of the Major Case Response Team survived when Harper Dearing set off his car bomb in front of NCIS Headquarters.

Spoilers: Anything from Seasons 1-9.

Summary and Author Notes: This is my take what might have happened after the blast. Of all the NCIS characters, it looks the worst for our man Ducky as when last we saw him he was lying on the beach looking as if he had suffered a heart attack. Kudos to my wife for the review on this - all mistakes in the story are mine and mine alone.

Disclaimer: The characters in this story are the property of Donald Bellisario/Charles Johnson/Shane Brennan/Gary Glasberg, Belisaurius Productions, Paramount Pictures and Columbia Broadcasting Service Entertainment – this story is for non-profit entertainment of NCIS fans only. No copyright infringement is intended or implied.

**xix**

**The explosion was horrific**. Captain Jonathan Cole, former member of the ONI's Watcher Fleet and its tactical team 'Phantom Eight', would later be recognized for his heroism in sacrificing himself to try and defuse the car bomb. Unfortunately he hadn't counted on madman Harper Dearing detonating the weapon remotely. Now his atoms were being scattered across the NCIS parking lot along with chunks of the automobile that once housed the explosive.

**xiix**

**In Abby's lab, the gray haired leader** of the District of Columbia's Major Case Response Team, grabbed Forensic Specialist Abigail 'Abby' Sciuto and threw her to the floor a macro second before the windows of the basement lab were pushed inward by the force of the blast followed by bits of the automobiles that had been around the car bomb. The mixture of knife sharp slivers of glass and flaming chunks of destroyed cars and trucks, carried by the concussive blast wave and immolating fireball roared over their heads destroying laboratory's computers and multiple display screens, Abby's beloved Major Mass Spectrometer, Captain Comparison Microscope, and all of her other equipment as well as her beloved 'art'.

**xiiix**

**Leon Vance and Tim McGee** realizing what was going on threw themselves to the floor moments before the picture window looking out on the NCIS Headquarters's front drive was propelled inward along with the rising fireball. The floor near the window, vaporized by the blast, began to disintegrate as the Director of NCIS and Leroy Jethro Gibbs' computer geek and the author of 'The Continuing Adventures of LJ Tibbs' rolled away from the conflagration enveloping the MCRT bullpen.

**xivx**

**Senior Field Agent of the DC MCRT**, Anthony 'Tony' DiNozzo and former Mossad Officer, now NCIS Agent, Ziva David, grabbed for each other as the two agents were suddenly thrown together and then driven against the wall of their enclosure as the blast from the car bomb enveloped their elevator car. The car shook violently moments before the cabling tethering the elevator in place came loose.

**xvx**

**And on a beach in Florida**, Doctor Donald Mallard, NCIS Medical Examiner, upon hearing the early morning news of the car bombing, slowly sank onto the sandy beach, gasping for breath as he watched the tide roll in.

**xxixxiixxiiixxivxxvxxvi**

**Darkness….**

**xxixxiixxiiixxivxxvxxvi**

**Leroy Jethro Gibbs stood up**. Gone was Abby's lab; in fact, the entire building was gone. As if it had never existed. Gibbs was standing in the middle of a grassy field on a bright sunny day.

"Abby!" He yelled. There was no response.

"Abbs! Where are you?!"

Gibbs could feel the pulse of the blood as it dribbled down the side of his face and the thudding of his heart against his rib cage. But they were the only things he heard besides his own voice. Abby Sciuto was nowhere to be found. What had happened? Where was everyone?

"She's not here, Probie,"

Gibbs instinctively turned at the sound of the gravelly voice that came from behind him.

The gray haired senior Agent simultaneously felt relief and dread.

"Mike,"

**xxixxiixxiiixxivxxvxxvi**

**Abby saw a woman** standing in the distance, she had decided it was useless to try and figure out what happened to her lab and Gibbs. This was a dream of some sort, so she may as well just play along.

The Goth Forensic Specialist looked down at her locket and then held it in her hands. When she opened it, the image she saw in it matched the woman she saw standing in front of her.

"Mom?"

**xxixxiixxiiixxivxxvxxvi**

**Leon Vance was walking** along a dusty road near a grassy field. The throbbing of his leg only was dulled somewhere by the throbbing of his head. Somehow he had been blown here. He had to get back to Jackie and his kids were his one overriding thought.

"You won't find them going that way, Leon"

The NCIS Director froze at the sound of that familiar and dreadful voice.

**xxixxiixxiiixxxivxxvxxvi**

**Tim McGee was sitting** at a computer workstation in a grassy field.

Tim's hands were flying over the keyboard in front of him, but the screen continued to spit back gibberish in response to his keystrokes.

The MIT grad shook his head disgustedly. "Ahh! No, that's not right…maybe…"

He quickly hit another set of keystrokes and then hit enter. Again the screen flashed an indecipherable code for him to see.

"No! That's not right either!" He looked over at the clock floating in the air beside him. For some reason in his mind, told him to ignore the fact that it was floating in the air but that he had to hurry and finish because time was running out.

**xixxiixxiiixxivxxvxxvi**

**Ziva could see Talia, her younger sister** standing in a field, waving to her.

The lithe NCIS Agent began running toward her. She couldn't believe her eyes. "Talia? You are here?" Ziva called out.

The young girl smiled and waved back. "Yes big sister, I am here; it is good to see you again!"

Ziva stopped and stared at her dead sister. She nodded, accepting what she was seeing. "Then that means I must be -"

"No, not yet," her sister replied to her unfinished declaration.

**xxixxiixxiiixxivxxvxxvixx**

"**Tony?" **The voice sounded familiar to him as he tried to open his eyes. He couldn't quite place who it was.

The former Baltimore police detective's head felt as if it were made of lead. "Wha- what's going-" He said groggily.

"Tony!" Tony's eyes snapped open at the sound of that voice. He had heard it many times before in the NCIS bullpen. But it couldn't be her…could it?

Tony DiNozzo looked straight into Kate Todd's face.

He couldn't believe his eyes. "Kate! How?" Kate Todd…alive. He reached out to her.

Kate shook her head. She looked at him fiercely. "There's no time, DiNozzo! Get up and get your butt moving!"

Tony was confused. No time? "But Kate-"

Kate pointed which direction he was supposed to go. "Go Tony! Now! Move!"

She pointed away from her.

**xxixxiixxiiixxivxxvxxvixx**

"**Donald?"**

The NCIS Medical Examiner didn't move. He didn't want to get up. Besides it was too early….

"Donald? Oh Donald, do get up…I shan't ask you again…"

Donald 'Ducky' Mallard opened his eyes to see his mother standing over him.

"Do you have a fever, Donald?"

Ducky squinted and strained his eyes to get his vision to focus, but they wouldn't – everything was blurry and indistinct.

"No mother," He sighed and buried his head back down on his pillow. "I'm just-"

"Then you need to get up…" She said severely as threw open the curtains letting a flood of light into the room.

"Mother-" Ducky started to protest.

"Now Donald," His mother insisted sternly.

**xxixxiixxiiixxivxxvxxvixx**

**Former NIS Agent Mike Franks** was smiling like he had just heard the best joke of his life.

"Mike what's going on?"

"Beats me, Probie; I just do what they tell me to."

Gibbs didn't like being confused. And seeing his dead mentor didn't help things. "Who's they Mike? And where's Abby?"

"That little goth girl of yours is just fine, Probie, right now you have to focus on you."

Gibbs shook his head. "Focus on me? Mike you're not making any sense,"

"He's doing the best he can considering he has one hand tied behind his back, Gibbs,"

"Joan…"

**xxixxiixxiiixxivxxvxxvi**

"**But you're not my mom,"** Abby said to the only person she had ever known as her mother.

"I know honey," she said with hint of wistfulness in her voice.

Abby stared at her adopted mother. "But why didn't you tell me?"

"Oh sweetie, I wish I would have," Now there was anguish in Ms. Sciuto's voice.

"Is she…is she still alive?" Abby ventured hopefully.

**xxixxiixxiiixxivxxvxxvi**

**Leon's head** was throbbing so bad it was making him see double. And the person he saw in front of him was the last person he wanted to see.

One word reached his parched lips. "Riley…"

"Yeah, Leon. It's me. What, you maybe were expecting angels? Not where you're going buddy…"

**xxixxiixxiiixxivxxvxxvi**

**Tim sat** in the field, furiously typing on his laptop. He thought had finished off this chapter and sent it to his editor…but no matter, there was just a little section missing. He could finish that off in no time….

As he typed in the ending to the chapter again, the words at the top of the screen began erasing themselves.

Tim couldn't believe what he was seeing. "No, no, no, stop, stop, stop!"

In moments he was left with blank page and a blinking cursor. Two hours of hard work, gone in an instant.

Tim wanted to hurl the machine into oblivion. Then he heard another beep. It was the workstation he had just left. The cursor on its screen was blinking furiously as if demanding for him to do something

"All you do is spit back garbage," he said to the machine. Then the MIT grad shook his head. "I must be losing my mind, talking to a computer. Tony would rib me to death."

Tony…

Tim looked around. Where was Tony? When he last saw him and Ziva, they were ushering people down the stairwell and elevators to get them out of the building…that was when he noticed the building was gone…Director Vance was gone…in fact everything was gone except for these two computers and that strange clock hanging in midair….what had happened?

**xxixxiixxiiixxivxxvxxvi**

"**Talia you**- you can't be here," Ziva said with a note of melancholy in her voice. She missed her little sister.

"Why Ziva? Because I am dead?" Such wisdom from someone like her. So young, so much promise...wiped out by a suicide bomber.

"Yes because you are dead." Ziva said confirming what the girl said.

"But I am dead." She said simply as if that was the answer.

"Which must mean I am dead…" Ziva replied logically.

Talia grabbed her older sister by the shoulders. "Ziva! Stop thinking for a moment and just accept…"

Ziva wasn't sure what Talia- if this was Talia – wanted from her. "Accept what? That I am dead too?"

"No, just that I am here, now, with you."

"But why? Why are you here?"

**xxixxiixxiiixxivxxvxxvi**

**Tony felt** the flames dance around him, just like the flames in that townhouse in Baltimore so many years ago.

His left leg had suddenly gone lame.

"Kate! My leg! What do I do?!" he shouted back toward his old partner.

She only had one answer for him. "Go Tony! Save her!"

"Save her? Save who?"

"Ziva, Tony! You have to save her!"

Tony started toward the center of the flames, but he took one last look back at her. "Kate…" There were a thousand things he needed to say to her, to tell her.

Kate smiled an understanding smile as if she had heard them all. "Go, Tony," she said simply.

But Gibbs' second in command wasn't ready to leave just yet. "Kate, I'm sorry, I-" So many things left unsaid…

"I know, Tony," Kate said nodding. It was goodbye without actually saying it.

Tony turned and dove into the flames where he could hear female screams….

**xxixxiixxiiixxivxxvxxvi**

"**Donald…"**

"_Donald…"_

**ixxiixxiiixxxivxxvxxvixx**

"Doctor…" That didn't sound like Mother. Who was calling him doctor?

"Doctor Mallard…" That sounds like Jimmy? Blast! What does he want?

"Oh thank God, Brie, he's coming around!" Jimmy said as struggled to keep Ducky's body above the incoming surf.

"Is he all right?" Briana, his fiancé asked as she looked on at her husband-to-be struggling in the surf with the unconscious NCIS ME.

"I don't know; help me get him up," Jimmy replied. They both began to struggle with getting the Doctor in an upright position.

"Call 911!" Brie yelled to man nearby jogging with his dog.

He nodded and made the call. "Ambulance is on its way!" He yelled back. Briana waved to the good Samaritan "Thank you!"

"Oh Doctor, just stay with me, please." Jimmy said as he and Brie held onto Donald 'Ducky' Mallard

"I'm not going anywhere anytime soon, Mr. Palmer." Ducky said quietly as he opened his eyes and looked at his two helpers.

**xxixxiixxiiixxivxxvxxvi**

"**Joan…"** Gibbs put his hand to the side of his face and felt the stickiness of the blood. "Am I-

Joan Mateson smiled. "No, don't worry Gibbs; you're all right, Abby's all right…"

"How do you know Abby?"

Now Dr. Samantha Ryan was standing by Joan. "In time, Gibbs, in time. Now get Abby out of there…"

Gibbs was more confused than ever. "Out?"

"Yes…GET HER OUT!" Dr. Ryan barked.

**ixxiixxiiixxivxxvxxvixx**

_Gibbs' eyes flew open_. Flaming debris was everywhere. He looked down and saw Abby, curled in a fetal position clutching a smoking Bert the farting hippo.

The senior NCIS Agent scooped the Goth Forensic Specialist into his arms and staggered toward a smoke filled doorway, where he met a fireman checking for survivors.

"Come on, we gotta get you both out of here!" The man yelled through his mask. Gibbs nodded dully as the fireman lead him through the flaming remains of the lab to safety.

**xxixxiixxiiixxivxxvxxvi**

"**Ziva,** we don't have much time,"

Ziva laughed harshly. "Time? We have all the time in the world Talia, we're dead!"

"No! Listen to me! You have to go back," her dead sister pleaded with her.

"Why? You are here little sister; you're all that matters to me," Ziva said with complete honesty. It was true. She had missed her for so long.

"No, I'm not; there is another," her little sister said wisely in a way only little sisters can.

"Who?" Ziva had no idea she was talking about.

"Tony…"

Ziva snorted out a bitter laugh. "Tony! What could you possibly know about Tony-"

"I know that he cares for you." Talia said softly.

"He has funny way of showing it," Ziva said harshly.

"And you care for him,"

"That is none of your business," Ziva snapped bitterly.

"Go to him,"

"Why?" Ziva pleaded. "I want to stay here with you, Talia."

Talia shook her head. "No, you can't, not yet."

"I-"

"Go, he's waiting…." Talia faded into a bright glow that covered the field.

**ixxiixxiiixxivxxvxxvixx**

_Ziva's eyes flickered open_. She found herself entangled with an unconscious Tony in the smoky gloom of the damaged elevator car.

**xxixxiixxiiixxivxxvxxvi**

**Tony could see Ziva** surrounded by flames. Apparently they had gotten out of the elevator car and had somehow made it into the lower lobby area, but force of the explosion has shattered the security checkpoint and the way out was hopelessly blocked. The former Mossad agent had tried to make her way around the debris and had gotten trapped.

"Take my hand!" He thrust out his hand to her. She looked at him like he had lost his mind.

Ziva shook her head furiously. There was fear and concern in her pretty eyes. "No, you'll be killed!"

"Take it, come on!" He yelled thrusting his hand back at her again.

After a moment of indecision, she grabbed it….

**ixxiixxiiixxivxxvxxvixx**

_Tony was staring face to face with Ziva_. They both blinked.

They stared at each other for moment not daring to move.

"Are you-" they said in unison, and then stopped when they realized what they were doing.

"Are you okay?" Tony asked, giving her a visual once over.

"I think so, are you okay?" Ziva replied doing the same.

"Other than feeling like a cat that's been tossed in a dryer, yeah sure…" Tony quipped as he looked around the bent and distorted elevator car. They were lucky in that the debris that had hit them from the ceiling was nothing too heavy – so no cracked skulls or shattered vertebrae to worry about.

Ziva smirked, "Come on, we'll help each other up."

They both started to help each other up.

"Hey, is anybody in there?" A voice called out through the elevator doors

"Agents DiNozzo and David; we're little banged up, but we're okay!" Tony yelled in reply.

"Hang on, we'll have that door open in a few moments! Standby!" the voice responded.

**xxixxiixxiiixxivxxvxxvi**

**Riley guffawed** at Leon's pathetic attempted to strike at him.

"Go ahead Leon, try and hit me, see what good it will do you…"

Leon wanted so badly to land at least one of his punches, but it was like hitting nothing. No substance.

"Not having any effect, is it Mr. Director? You and Gibbs and the rest of your Agents are dead because of your stupidity! That's what the SECNAV gets for letting you be director, Leon!"

Riley just smiled and shook his head. "Why don't you just give up and die?"

Leon could feel the anger welling up in him. "No…no I won't…"

"You stupid ignorant…come on, die!" Riley yelled at him.

"No!"

"Give up and die Leon, it's easier that way," Riley purred sounding like evil incarnate.

Leon shook his head like a punch drunk fighter. "No! I'm not going to give up!"

"You don't have to, Leon…"

Vance turned and saw Leroy Jethro Gibbs headed toward him….

**ixxiixxiiixxivxxvxxvixx**

_Leon coughed and rolled over_, feeling like he had gone ten rounds with wildcat.

Since he was on the floor, he could look up and see the smoke and flames above him. Ignoring his own injuries, he crawled toward Tim McGee's unconscious form.

xxixxiixxiiixxivxxvxxvi

**Tim was at a loss** to know what do next. The laptop had failed completely taking his unfinished manuscript with it, and that crazy workstation was still demanding his attention with its blinking cursor.

As he stood up to approach his nemesis, he saw a word flash across the screen

PASSWORD?

Gathering up his courage, he walked over typed in what he hoped would work.

THOM E GEMCITY

The cursor blinked again for a few more moments. Then the screen went black.

Tim threw up his hands. "Great! That's just-"

Beep!

PASSWORD ACCEPTED

Tim couldn't believe his eyes.

Suddenly the workstation unfolded into a gleaming jetpack. Eagerly Tim strapped it on, in moments he would be out of here…where, he didn't care as long as it wasn't here.

He closed his eyes and hit the launch button, the pack burst to life and soon he was flying higher and higher away from that field and its cursed machines….

**ixxiixxiiixxivxxvxxvixx**

_Tim felt the tug_ of the rocket pack pulling him sideways…

"Come on, McGee, wake up, we've got to get out of here!"

Tim smelled smoke. Not the exhaust from his rocket pack. No, this was something sharper and more pungent. He opened his eyes and saw Leon Vance tugging on him. All around them flames and smoke danced, creating a hellish scene.

"Director?" he said groggily, trying to get his eyes to focus. Now he felt the pain.

Leon smirked, trying to keep Tim's mind off his injuries. "Good, you're back among the living, come on McGee, let's go."

The two men carefully made their way over to the bomb damaged stairwell, Leon half carrying the injured Tim McGee, where they were met by two firefighters who helped them downstairs.

**xxixxiixxiiixxivxxvxxvi**

"**But where is my mom, **my real mom?" Abby asked.

Abby's 'Mom' shook her head. "I don't know honey, but one day, you'll find her…"

"Find her? Find her how?" Abby asked, but her 'mother' was already gone. Abby was left alone standing in the field….

**ixxiixxiiixxivxxvxxvixx**

_That's when Abby ruminations were interrupted_ as Tim's eyes fluttered open.

"Doctor, he's coming around." Tim recognized Gibbs voice

Abby's face floated over him. "Tim? Timmy? Talk to me…"

Then he saw Gibbs looking down at him. "Welcome back, McGee."

Abby immediately appeared over Tim again. "Timmy, we were so worried about you…." She put a hand to his face.

Tim heard another. One he had not heard before. "Let me take a look Ms. Sciuto; Mr. McGee, I'm Commander Bowles, how are you feeling?" The Navy doctor replaced Abby in his field of vision.

"Unh, Not so great doc…" The MIT Graduate replied. "What happened?"

"We were caught in a car bomb explosion, McGee." The Head of the DC MCRT responded to his young Special Agent. "Harper Dearing did this…"

"Oh yeah…now I remember…I was upstairs…." He laid back and closed his eyes, but only for a moment. He suddenly sat up. "Tony? Ziva?! Are they all right?!"

"They're fine, McGee, they're all fine; just rest." Gibbs reassured him as he helped Tim lay back down on the bed.

That was good because sitting up hadn't been the best move in the world. But Tim wasn't satisfied with just knowing they were okay. "Can I see them? Please doc, just for a few minutes…please?"

"Just for few moments." The Navy doctor said relenting

The door to the hospital room opened and Ziva and Tony sporting bandages to various injuries made their way into the room.

"Hey you guys look worse than I do," Tim said before lapsing into a fit of coughing which made him grimace in pain.

"We were more worried about you, Tim, we thought we had lost you." Ziva said her voice breaking. Tony put his arm around Ziva's shoulder and for once she didn't flinch or pull away. Ziva's eyes brimmed with tears.

"How long have I been out?" Tim asked cautiously. He was afraid to learn the answer.

"Not important, McGee," Gibbs said, "Just do as the Doc says and get some rest."

"All right Gibbs…" His eyes start to close again but then he opened them again "Ducky? Where is Ducky? Shouldn't he be here by now?"

The three Agents and the Forensic Specialist traded silent looks. "Ducky's fine, McGee," Gibbs replied. "get some sleep." And then the Goth Forensic Specialist gave Tim a gentle kiss on him forehead.

**ixxiixxiiixxivxxvxxvixx**

Leon Vance met with the battered DC MCRT out in the hospital hallway.

"How's McGee?" he asked.

"Doc says he'll pull through Leon," Gibbs replied. "How many did we lose?"

"Final count won't be known for days," Leon said wearily. "Jimmy is flying back this evening to begin the autopsies."

"What about Harper Dearing?" Tony asked.

"Dropped out of sight." The NCIS Director reported.

"I want him Leon," Gibbs said tersely.

Leon Vance put a hand on MCRT Head's shoulder. "I know you do, Gibbs, and you'll have help,"

"We don't need any help," Ziva replied forcefully.

"I'm afraid Agents Callen, Hanna, Blye and Deeks would disagree with that. They'll should be at JAG Headquarters within the hour."

"JAG Headquarters?" Abby couldn't understand why they were involved.

Leon supplied the answer to his question. "They've offered their facilities to us until we get back up and running. Also the FBI is providing weapons and computer support."

"Tobias Fornell…" Tony said in a thoughtful voice.

"He insisted Gibbs, don't look a gift horse in the mouth."

Gibbs shook his head. "I won't…but Leon?"

"Yeah?" He knew what Leroy Jethro Gibbs was going to say to him.

"Dearing is ours," Gibb simply said.

"This is for Tim," Abby said determinedly.

Leon looked at the three battered federal agents and the Goth Forensic Specialist and nodded.

**-FINIS**


End file.
